ELHS Robotics Club Turns Problems Into Progress

Whether they’re rebounding from a competition or refining a design before the next match, East Lansing High School Robotics Club members are always looking to solve new problems that pop-up. 

The team, which has about 20 members, creates a robot to complete tasks in competitions against other schools. The club gives students valuable hands-on, collaborative experience in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)-related activities. 

“There’s something very satisfying about having a problem that you’re trying to solve and failing, and then coming up with a new solution,” Kari Richards, a senior at East Lansing High School and member of the Robotics Club said.

Students spend time designing, building and programming robots to compete in challenges that differ year to year. The team can advance further in a state competition, depending on its performance this month. 

This year, robots are programmed to play a game called Push Back. In the game, robots gather blocks and place them into goals to accumulate points. Additionally, teams can earn points by parking their robots in stalls at the end of the game. The game starts with a 15-second autonomous period, where robots moves on their own, then they are driver-controlled for a minute and forty-five seconds. 

The club was established in 2017 by Coach Nelson Ng and his son, Benjamin. Ng stuck around after his son graduated and helps fundraise for the club.

“Ohh, we pay,” said Orion Smith, a club advisor. “It’s quite an expensive activity to participate in.” 

There are three main parts to the competition: making the physical robot, creating both the driver control code and autonomous code, and learning how to drive the robot. Throughout the process of building, students  meticulously note design choices and failures along the way. Every part is equally important, and if you aren’t prepared it could cost you the game.

“In one of our previous competitions, we had a great robot and great code, but none of us really knew how to drive well, so we didn’t do that great,” Richards said. 

Richards usually goes to Robotics Club meetings twice per week, spending more time working with the team close to competitions. Her biggest  takeaway from preparing for competition is, many times things just have to be “good enough.”

“Oftentimes you can’t make something perfect, and you have to make something that’s good enough and will work, and that’s all you can do,” Richards said. 

Much of robotics is trial and error, and while that may discourage some students, Smith is confident members are not deterred by a challenge. 

“The vibe of the club is people who are clearly not afraid of getting their hands into something pretty technical,” Smith said. 

Sophomore Tristan O’Keefe, who has been involved in robotics since eighth grade, enjoys teaching other students about robotics and the school’s club. 

“We sometimes visit elementary schools and show them a little bit about robotics and play around with robots,” O’Keefe said. 

“Our hope is actually to inspire some of the schools to start their own clubs,” Smith added.